Laurie Hernandez Opened Up About Body Image and Self Love

“I got this.”

Laurie Hernandez shines on more than just the balance beam. The 18-year-old Olympic gymnast has trained for years to develop a skill to which she credits a lot of her success: self love.

In an interview with Health magazine, Laurie opened up about how she learned to prioritize her health and wellbeing, how she practices self love, and more. She said she learned the importance of treating herself well from her mom, according Health. Step one, she said, always check in with yourself and know your health comes first. The second step, she said, is self reflection. Laurie told Health that rather than blocking out certain parts of yourself that you don’t like, take the time to explore and figure out what made you that way.

“And sometimes that can be a lot, but by doing that you're actually helping yourself become a better person,” she said. “You're helping yourself communicate with others, and you're helping yourself grow. I think it doesn't work if you're hindering your own growth."

One thing Laurie found that works well for her is self-talk. You may remember the meme of her whispering “I got this” to herself before beginning a routine at the 2016 Olympics. "Basically before I compete I'm like my own hype man," she said.

Like many others, Laurie said she still feels a lot of pressure to look a certain way. She said at first, natural fluctuations in her weight as she grew older were alarming. “But as I've grown up I've noticed, you know what, it happens. We grow. It's fine. Like, to all the tweens out there who are going through puberty, it's completely normal."

This isn't the first time she's spoken the truth about body image. In fact, she helped launch a collection with Obsess that is size inclusive with the goal of creating clothes that make people of all bodies feel confident and cute.